1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing lures, and particularly to lures which ascend due to forward line tension.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Various types of fishing lures are known to the art, each having features and advantages which are appreciated as making them particularly suited for attracting different types of game fish or simulating certain activities or characteristics exhibited by live bait or fish in their natural environments.
Many varieties of lures having downwardly-depending front bills or vanes which dive under forward line tension are well known, however those skilled in the art have not developed commercially suitable lures which ascend under forward line tension.
Some "non-diving" lures or lures with upwardly angled or curved bills are known to the art, with some representative examples being shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,862,629 and 4,738,047 to Ryan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,171 to Muddiman, U.S. Pat. No. 2,608,016 to Shipley, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,600,653 to Steenstrup.
These references also disclose the some of the drawbacks or defects in existing lure designs. For example, in the Ryan '629 and '047 patents, as well as the Muddiman '171 patent, the line is either attached at or near the front or upper tip of the bill, or threaded through an eyelet or aperture disposed at the tip of the bill. Forward line tension causes these lures to track along the vector defined primarily by the direction of the line, as affected by the bouyancy or weight of the lure. Forward tension using a weighted line will still cauuse these lures to drop or dive along the path of the line. They will only ascend or rise when the line tension is applied at an upward angle relative to the center of mass and the horizontal axis of the lure.
In contrast, Shipley '016 attaches the line to a separate eyelet with a clevis, and provides a bill which can be pivoted between various downward or upward angles. The bill adjustment mechanism utilized in Shipley '016 is far too heavy to be used practically in a commercial game lure, since the heavy front weight would counteract the neutral bouyancy of the lure body. Even if this condition were corrected by the use of a mechanism which maintained neutral bouyancy--or eliminated by having a fixed-position bill--Shipley '016 still places the eyelet and clevis above the bill, so that even when the bill is angled upwardly the lure will at best follow the same vector defined by the path of the line when forward tension is applied. Consequently, Shipley '016 may provide some depth adjustability as described, but is not suitable for producing a rapid or controlled ascending motion of the lure under forward tension.
In Steenstrup '653, a series of line-attaching apertures in provided along a vertically-oriented flange or rib mounted along the underside of the bill. The bill is pivotally attached and may assume a variety of upward angles, and has a downwardly curved tip which covers the flange or rib. In operation, however, the Steenstrup '653 lure operates in substantially the same manner as those described above. If the line is attached to one of the forward apertures, the bill aligns itself along the vector defined by the path of the line tension, and the lure simply trails the line path in whatever direction the tension is being applied. If the line is attached to an intermediate aperture, the line tension plus water pressure on the curved tip of the bill causes the the bill to pivot downwardly until the tip contacts the line, and once the flange and bill are aligned with the line the lure will follow the path of the line, or descend slightly due to the curved tip of the bill. Finally, if the line is attached to the most proximate aperture, that aperture and the pivot point of the bill will be aligned along the path of the line and the longitudinal axis of the lure. As a result, the bill will at best pivot to a vertical position as shown in FIG. 1 of the Steenstrup '653 patent--thus causing the lure to rotate about its longitudinal axis and buck or gyrate in an uncontrolled manner due to its orientation and curved shape--or at best will pivot to a rearwardly angled position as shown in FIG. 2 of the Steenstrup '653 patent and cause the lure either to descend under tension or to buck uncontrollably as the lure rotates.
It is therefore the object of this invention to design a game fishing lure which will ascend in a controlled manner under forward line tension, and ascend rapidly under stronger forward line tension, especially when that line is counterweighted. Such a lure of this invention thereby permits a fisherman to mimic a similar bait fish (such as a minnow) moving near the bottom surface of a lake or stream, either along a relativelty straight or constant-depth path parallel with the bed, or with occassional rapid ascents to mimic the bait fish avoiding potential predators obscured from view by weeds or other debris or obstacles. Alternately, the ascending lure can be used with a counterweight to mimic a small bait fish feeding near the water's surface.